Unending Pain
Kerava stalked over to where Corvus sat, towering over him, and roughly yanked him to his feet by his hair, tearing his shirt from his back and discarding it before switching to her preferred grip by grasping the back of his neck. She pushed and pulled Corvus' resisting form over to the wall and slammed him against it, winding him. More threads of wisp-like magic swarmed over Corvus holding him still, allowing Kerava to release her grip on the youngsters neck to secure his limbs. She secured his arms above his head, fastening each wrist into a steel cuff that was bolted deep into the wall. Next, she kicked Corvus's legs apart violently causing his body to sink lower and the wrist restraints to dig into his skin. Kerava secured his ankles with the same heavy steel shackles. Corvus was now facing the wall, unable to move very far, but still able to speak. Kerava withdrew her threads and scrutinized his struggling form; she saw a trickle of blood winding its way down Corvus’ right forearm from the steel cutting into his wrist. Kerava spoke in a low tone, “Now, let’s see… What makes you tick…” “I’d prefer you not…” Corvus spoke, straining to turn his head far enough around to see the target of his verbal abuse. Kerava’ eyes narrowed, “I can call you whatever I feel like calling you. Or have you forgotten already? I own you! You upset Zied and caused a major setback to his plan... The defeat of Control, you helped this Daille-girl, in an attempt, you blocked out Control's powers at the last moment. You just living is a problem for him. So he handed you over to me as a punishment, and you've still not earned your release from my grasp, and you never will, boy!” Kerava rumbled in her distinctive gritty voice. Taking a blade from the folds of her robe, and standing directly behind him with the point of the blade pressing lightly into his lower back, she hissed,“you're mine,” tracing the point along his spine sending an involuntary shudder through Corvus’ body from the cold steel scratching at his flesh. Kerava grabbed at Corvus’ head and wrenched it backwards roughly, holding the blade to his throat tightly enough for a trickle of blood to seep from the razors edge. Corvus grumbled at the stinging sensation, looking upside down from his head being yanked backwards into Kerava’s emotionless face. “You may be somewhat immortal, but you can still feel pain,” Kerava whispered, making Corvus cringe again, as she lightly traced the blade away from his throat and around his neck before freeing his grip on his head. She continued to scratch the blade across his shoulders, back and forth tracing the muscles, leaving red scratches in his wake, and without warning plunged it deeply into Corvus's right shoulder blade. Corvus jerked his head forwards in pain, banging his head hard against the wall with a sickening crack. A thick ooze of blood pulsed from the wound, seeping out of his flesh around the steel instrument that had pierced it, slowly creeping its way down his back. "Damn," ''Corvus cursed in his mind. “I'm sure even you have a limit...” Kerava replied dryly, squeezing the flesh surrounding the cold instrument and forcing more blood to spill from the wound. “Shall we find out?” Corvus gave no response, and Kerava gripped the handle of the blade that was still sticking out of his shoulder and twisted, digging the blade deeper into the muscle. Corvus moaned in agony as the flesh was torn some more and fresh blood poured from the wound, his body tensed against his restraints, his breathing becoming deep and deliberate, “I asked you a question.” Kerava growled. Giving up, at least for the slightest moment, Corvus answered with a “Yes.” “Good.” Kerava said in a clipped tone, and landed a heavy, open-handed smack on Corvus’ left side at the same instant before she quietly moved away. Corvus rested his forehead against the wall; it felt greasy, almost slick. It was damp, like everything else down here in this dingy room. He started to feel the familiar prickly sensation warm his skin from the somewhat playful slap Kerava had just given him. Corvus knew it was far from over though, if the blade that was lodged in his shoulder was anything to go by anyway. The pain had turned into a dull ache, but he knew that the real pain hadn't even started yet. Kerava stared down at the implements in front of her, they each had their merits she thought, but where would she begin... She picked up another small blade, much like a scalpel and ran her fingers over the cold steel carefully examining and scrutinizing every millimeter of it. She was lost in his own thoughts, deep in the recesses of his imagination, visualizing what she would eventually inflict upon Corvus. She placed down the small blade with a metallic clink onto the table, instead, picking up a roll of leather, tugging at the catch and unfurling it to reveal a carefully wrapped set of needles. Deciding she would start there, ‘a slow and painful way to begin’ She mused. She stilled herself, closing her eyes and listening intently to the sounds within the room; she could hear Corvus breathing – she could hear the faint dripping of water from somewhere, the air was still and hung heavily around her. She was ready… To begin. She opened her eyes, sucking a breath of the acrid air deep into her lungs, and moved closer to Corvus. She stood observing him, with his head hanging forwards, resting against the wall. Kerava smirked beneath her mask, wondering if this was a play to get him to go easy on him by appearing submissive or weakened? Or perhaps he was preparing himself for what was coming next. ''"Either way,"''Kerava thought and slipped a needle from its leather sheath, she held it like a dart, between the edge of her fore-finger and thumb. Her eyes flicked back and forth across the bare flesh of Corvus’ back, searching for his first target. Corvus shifted slightly, almost in anticipation of Kerava's next move, the chains emitted a dull clatter, they were old and speckled with pockmarks of rust. They could really do with replacing, but that would cost money. Besides, Kerava couldn't remember the last time anybody except Corvus had been brought down here, that managed to stay alive long enough to necessitate the chains anyway. She decided on his first target – Corvus’ neck, ‘That ought to make him straighten up and pay attention.’ Kerava mused. She moved closer, silently raising the needle to match the height of Corvus’ neck. She had it pinched between her thumb and fore-finger, and jabbed it home, deep into the muscle that ran the length of Corvus’ neck, sending shooting pain right up into his head. True to Kerava's prediction, Corvus raised his head, but remained silent, save for a sharp intake of breath through gritted teeth. Kerava drew another needle from the sheath, deciding that a more painful insertion would be necessary to drag a pained cry from Corvus. She tossed the needle into the air, catching it deftly between her thumb and forefinger again. She allowed her left hand to rest on Corvus’ shoulder, bringing her right hand closer until the needle made contact with the skin at the top of the spine; a little to the right, hovering above the bundle of nerves that Kerava knew lay buried about an inch below the surface, she pressed it in slowly this time, feeling it snag on the sinewy muscle as it pierced the flesh. She pierced through the sensitive bundle of nerves, sending waves of pain through Corvus like lightning. “Agh!” rasped Corvus, sucking in breath to help ease the pain into his system. Kerava smiled, she liked that response, and drew another needle. She pressed it into Corvus's lower back, near his left kidney, which also granted her a pleasing response, even though she sensed that Corvus was trying his best to hold back and not give Kerava the satisfaction. “17 left...” Kerava spoke up, breaking the strained atmosphere in the room. Corvus rumbled a growl. Kerava obliged and drew three needles from the sheath at once, holding two in her right hand and one in her left – she sunk the two in her right hand into Corvus’ floating ribs, feeling one scratch against the bone as it sunk through the muscles that supported his rib-cage. Corvus let out a pained cry, which made Kerava relish his pain even more. The needle she held in his left hand was plunged into Corvus’ as-yet neglected left shoulder – almost matching the position of the blade that was still sticking out of the right side. She drew another two, completely impaling Corvus's right forearm twice, and did the same to his left. She had ten needles remaining. She inserted five across the left shoulder to the neck and mirrored the pattern on the right, leaving Corvus looking like he had a sort of crest running across his shoulders. The pain had started to burn into Corvus’ psyche now, rising like a fire. Kerava retrieved the blade she was holding earlier, and returned to Corvus with it, tapping the cutting edge against the similar blade that was protruding from Corvus’ shoulder. It evoked a response all right – Corvus was furious, spitting blood as he yanked and pulled at the shackles holding him. ‘Hmm.’ Kerava pondered at the unexpected violent outburst, bringing the blade down onto Corvus’ upper arm and slicing around it, blood flowed freely down Corvus’ torso, mingling with his sweat. She sliced the same pattern into Corvus’ left upper arm, adding an additional incision encircling his arm around the bicep. 'Rrrrrrgh!' Corvus stifled his pain, emitting it only in grunts and involuntary movements. Kerava continued to slice into Corvus until she grew bored and decided it was time to move on. She picked up some decently sized nails, four inches long, and a hammer. "Let's see you stand this now." Kerava hissed in joy, as she took a few steps forward to get to where Corvus' hands were strapped down to. Placing a nail down upon Corvus' wrist, Kerava sighed, she shrugged and brought the hammer down, driving nail through flesh and bone into the wood beneath. Corvus cried out quietly, in agony, as the nail had certainly made a deep, painful mark. The same was performed for the other wrist, as another was brought upon Corvus, yet another pained cry, though quieter than the one before. Kerava took to the left, grabbing a pair of pliers from seemingly nowhere, she sweetly smiled, "Are you prepared for this one, child?" She wrenched off Corvus' shoes, humming to herself, "So... Which toe first?" She questioned innocently, to which Corvus did not answer, nor gave her the satisfaction of his pained scream, as he could only imagine what would come next. With a quick wrench, his pinky-toe nail was ripped out, a slight rip was heard, as blood oozed out from the wound that had just been inflicted upon him. Kerava smiled, as Corvus had made a slight sobbing noise, obviously pained from the excrutiating of the ripped nail from the embedded skin. The process was repeated a great many times, tear, rip, and then placing the full nail in a jar. Kerava was having a grand old time with the removal of all of Corvus' nails, whom was at the moment, in pure agony, bleeding all over himself due to the removal of every nail. Kerava smiled, as she nabbed from the pure darkness, a pair of garden scissors, "These ought to do nicely, on your Achilles Tendon, you won't be walking at all afterward." And with swift movement, Kerava closed the rather large scissors down upon the tendon, blood spurting forth, and putting Corvus into even more pain, Corvus actually gave out a loud, pained cry, sweat rolling down his body from the constant agony. "Yes. It's certainly eye-opening, is it not?" Kerava questioned, getting up to place the scissors back and grabbing a hammer, "And now, for the Pièce de résistance..." And with a great swing of the hammer, Kerava brought it down upon Corvus' collar bone, breaking it in two, and with it, she recieved the greatest scream from the man she had ever received, one that could awaken the dead and bring time to a halt. The bone itself jutted out, as Corvus deliriously mumbled, in agony. Karava left the dingy basement room momentarily to retrieve a bucket of water, which she promptly threw over Corvus rinsing the blood and sweat away. Kerava noted that Corvus hadn't uttered a thing as the icy water was thrown over him, he hadn't even flinched. She threw the bucket aside, it clattered to the floor and rolled to a stop somewhere in the darkness. Kerava knew he was merely acting tough, and that he was in a great deal of discomfort and unwanted pain. ''"Stupid little brat," Kerava thought, as she reached for the strap, deciding it was time to draw the proceedings to a close for the evening, after all she had to get back to her own responsibilities, and as much as ‘babysitting’ Corvus was one of them. Blood was seeping from the puncture marks left by the needles, somewhere knocked out, some were pushed aside, some were hammered deeper, some were obviously brittle and snapped leaving some still inside the flesh. The blade that had been sunk into his shoulder had been knocked aside, leaving it hanging at a strange angle, but still impaling a shred of skin. The strap had left angry red welts across Corvus’ back, some were oozing in an attempt to form scabs, others bled, some had begun to swell up, and several had left horrific bruises. "Well Corvus, you sweet whelp. Your father said I could return you back when he thought I felt fit. And knowing as you killed almost everyone in the village those years back, I can't help but feel that you'll be with me for a dear, long time." Kerava sweetly smiled, as she reached for a green-filled vial of bubbling liquid. "Let's be sure those aches and pains last a while longer." She added, as she poured it's contents onto Corvus' wounds. One last terrifying scream of pain echoed across the confines of the room... Category:TheSecret1070 Category:Dark Category:Short Stories Category:Finished Stories Category:Grimdark